Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Two and a half finger frothy rapidly dissipating head on a cloudy amber golden mix body. nice lacing. Aroma is very nice fruity ester and yeasty aroma. The taste is a dull yeast and fruit ester flavor which seems very simple and not complex. medium body and moderate to high carbonation. I liked this one more than most. Its a simple saison, not very memorable but good. (370 characters)

A: The beer is clear light amber in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high off white head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.S: There are moderately strong aromas of spices (from the rye) in the nose along with some hints of yeast.T: The taste is very similar to the smell and is rather spicy because of the rye, but the spiciness is in no way overpowering. There are also malty and earthy flavors. The spiciness persists into the finish.M: It feels medium-bodied and somewhat dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The dryness particularly stands out in the finish.O: This beer isn’t as refreshing compared to other saisons, yet considering its strength, the alcohol is well hidden from the taste.

On tap at Fire Works Pizza in Arlington, VA over the weekend. Served in a taster glass. Pours a reddish-copper color with a thin off-white head and a bit of lacing as it falls down the glass. The nose carries a good bit of rye along with some peppery spice. Faint fruit there as well. Flavor keeps up with the high pepper and spice combo, with a lot of rye zestiness in there. Body is a bit chewy and a bit too thick for my liking. Decent. (439 characters)

A strange combination of flavors that somehow work. The peppery dry Saison character controls the tempo while the pungent rye and spicy hops further reinforce the intent of Belgian Saisons.

Avery's 18 Anniversary Ale pours with a medium amber color, mild haze, and a froathy white head that both retains and laces well. Definately not the quentessential Saison look, but the darker nature of rye dyes the beer with an amber-stained look. Signature American creaminess is evident, different than the rocky-froathy textures of Saison Dupont.

Light bready notes of pilsner malt is met with the robust aromas of rye- leading to the malty nose of bread crust maltiness. Backed by the natural spiciness of yeast, the pungent rye grains contribute a peppery, musty note that rounds out the dry malt balance. Still, the fruity esters play lightfully behind the addition of mild caramel and toast, but not without the quick rebuttal of spice and orange zest from hops.

Flavors closely mimic the nose, with a lead of toast and the crust of bread, providing a much more hearty malt base than that of normal saisons. Fruity apples and pears have a tough time in penetrating the malt base, but the black peppercorn, corriander, and clove character easily carry the balance; especially with the pungent addition of rye. The added malt character is further balanced by the spicy and citrus taste of late addition hops.

Medium bodied throughout, the beer seemingly has a more robust texture because of the richness in taste. However, the malt character remains dry and spicy with a late turn to hops, alcohol, and spice for a malty-dry decission in finish.

As the popularity of dark Saisons rise, I like the quality of grains that give this beer its unique identity, rather than just giving a darker color and powdery dryness. But wiht the added rye, an obvious hop balance is needed but not in bitterness which would upset the balance. I like this beer, but its not what I want when reaching for a Saison. (1,995 characters)

This poured out as a deep copper color, nearly a shade of brown. The head was white and left a good lacing on the glass after every sip. The smell of the beer was a little spicy with some hop aromas in there as well. The Saison aromas were a little more difficult to pick up. The taste of the beer had a really good amount of rye in it I think, That was the primary flavor I was picking up next to the hops. The Saison part again was almost nonexistant. The mouthfeel of the beer was pretty good, I found that it was very easy to drink. Overall this wasn't too bad, not the best from Avery but still it might be worth trying. (625 characters)

Poured into a large tulip glass a deep burnt orange infuse amber with a thinner than expected head atop.Aromas are grainy with a decent amount of funk,the rye provides just a light shot of spice.Flavors are lightly funky with some phenolic clove spice,the rye is really subdues in my opinion,it really could have counterbalanced the phenols better in my mind.Its a decent beer but the the rye could have been bigger and it would have made it more complex and fuller. (466 characters)

Overall: Eighteen came across as a bit jumbled and a bit coarse, certainly not what I'm looking for in a saison. As far as their anniversary series goes, seventeen was alright, I suppose. The one I've always been saddened for never being able to locate was Sixteen. Ah well! (1,122 characters)

Avery's finally legal. Nice... Anyway, this stuff pours a russet-garnet topped by a bit over a finger of dusty ecru foam. The nose comprises rye crust, very light roasted malts, biscuit, very light coffee, and fennel. The taste brings in more of the same, along with clove, black pepper, plenty of banana, more fennel, and a kiss of mild cocoa. The spicy, more saison-like qualities finally overcome the breadiness that so dominated the smell. The body is a light-feeling medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a smooth, lightly grainy feel. Overall, an interesting little experiment, one that I feel succeeds on more levels than it fails. Good times. (704 characters)

It looks like a rye beer might, with a dark crimson tinted deep-copper colored body. The creamy head is a light khaki. The head drops shortly but it leaves some very nice walls of tiny spots of lace behind.

The aroma displays rye, that's for sure. Rye and deep caramel malt. Hops? Yes, but I can't make out what they might be through the malt and yeast. It's hard to tell. Are they spicy, or is that the malt? Or the yeast? Are they fruity, or is THAT the yeast? There's definitely something there... I'm gonna go with floral and grassy.

On to the taste. It's spicy up front with dark fruit, deep caramel that's almost like burnt sugar, and spice as you cross the middle. That might be from the yeast, but it's at least partially from the rye. Pretty nice. The fruit flavors work well with it (dark raisin, black cherry, dried figs). From there it just seems to drop away. There's not a lot of bitterness left over, but it's dry. Some clove lingers, as well as some general spice, a flicker of that same non-descript hop from the aroma, and a light touch of dull chocolate.

In the mouth it's quite nice. It's medium bodied with a dextrinous edge, and it becomes quite creamy as the carbonation is released and it 'foams' in the mouth.

Overall it's a little bit much that somehow becomes not enough. (1,411 characters)

Starts with a nice malty mouthful. Morphs into a fruity flavor, and ends with a dry, slightly bitter taste. Attractive amber color in the small snifter. Nice grainy taste and brambly rye. Flowery fragrance with a spicy touch. Sweet malt balanced by tart fruitiness and the yeasty bitterness.

Poured a slightly hazy amber color with a pleasantly lacing white head. Rye + saison ... two things that can be great when done right, so together they could be great too. I think Avery hit the mark for the most part. A definite breadiness in the aroma, slightly yeasty, with a good rye spice addition, and woody, citrusy hops noticeable. Tasted toasty, bready, light with pale malts, but flavorful with rye, moderately hopped, with spicy notes, and a touch of astringency, I thought. Overall very good, medium-bodied and complex, and quite drinkable. It is Avery, so watch your ABV. (619 characters)

Cost was $8.99 USD. O.G. 1.069. 8.12% ABV. Served cold into a tulip and allowed to warm over the course of consumption.

Reviewed live as a saison per the label. Expectations are average; I'm a bit skeptical of it given it was brewed with five different Belgian yeasts.

No bubble show forms as it's poured.

HEAD: Pours a vigorous 4 fingers of foam. Beige. Decent creaminess and thickness. Nice consistency. Average complexion. Retention is good for its ABV and age - easily 6-7 minutes. Leaves no lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes.

Not a unique or special appearance for a saison. In fairness, it's well outside style conventions, featuring unbecoming obvious filtration. Not hazy like you'd expect.

AROMA: Hmm. Age hasn't suited the dry hopping well; depleted stale hops lurk beneath the surface. This character is quite off-putting when coupled with the ill-chosen copper malt and Belgian pale malt base. I get hints of oxidation: cardboard, marshmallow. I search for rye's signature spiciness, but don't find it. Yeast attenuation seems poor judging by the rampant sweetness. But this doesn't suffer from a dead Belgian yeast/lees off-character as I feared. Still, it's a poor aroma for a saison, lacking fundamentals: there's no intricate spicing (a la Fantome) or nuanced milkiness (a la Dupont), and I find no brettanomyces funkiness or even any grainy barnyard character (e.g. hay or straw). Ultimately, it evokes an over-malted Belgian pale. Very poorly handled.

Aromatic intensity is moderately high. One would expect a more subtle aroma in a saison.

TASTE: That weird oxidized marshmallow tone is present, and I'd say it ruins the flavour profile if not for the bit where the flavour profile wouldn't have been satisfying anyway; it's heavily over-malted, with plenty of copper malt (more apt for a barleywine or even wee heavy) and pale malt (too sweet for a saison) in addition to the usual clean barley characteristics. What's missing is the promised rye malt (which would have lent this needed subtle spiciness) and barnyard/farmhouse malt character (e.g. hay, straw, grains, et al). There's no spice profile at all, nor is there any milkiness or brettanomyces character...so how is this a saison, exactly? The dry hopping hasn't lent this any interesting hop characteristics, though I suppose I would've found those more in the aroma anyway. Hop presence is minimal but what little there is floral in character; at least in this minor respect they satisfied one of the conventions of the style.

Has some ill-placed frutiness (replete with equally unwelcome esters), English caramel/caramalt, and even toffee...are they after a Belgian feel or a British one? The subtle white pepper notes I crave in a saison are sorely absent. There isn't even any clove or basic attempt at spice. What happened?

Where to start with the criticism? Well, the balance is completely off, and the build is completely wrong. Even as a glorified Belgian pale, it's overmalted and overly sweet, and lacks depth of flavour, complexity/intricacy, subtlety, and nuance. Flavour duration is above average, as is flavour intensity (in both cases, this is to its detriment). I do not like this, but it's not unenjoyable.

The ABV is pretty well disguised. This may be its best characteristic.

As it warms, I pick up on some artificial vanillin - perhaps a byproduct of its slight oxidation during aging?

TEXTURE: Closer to the style than the taste, but still quite lackluster. It's medium-bodied, smooth, wet, aptly carbonated, unrefreshing, a bit stale, and a bit gushed. Slight astringency is noticeable.

Not oily, hot, boozy, harsh, rough or scratchy.

Overall presence on the palate is bad. This doesn't elevate the beer, nor does it do much to complement the taste.

OVERALL: A horribly conceived stab at a saison, Eighteen couldn't be further from its intended style and doesn't succeed as any other. Some of the worst work Avery's done and a beer I'd avoid in the future. Not only is it not a saison, the rye that was meant to be so focal in the build never even appears. I have to say I'm surprised this even made it to market. This is a strong Avoid, and is the kind of poor quality off-style brew I'd expect from someone like Bristol, but it's not undrinkable.

Dusky magenta hue…plummy? backside of a grape peel? It's a tough one to peg. Not quite lavender, nowhere near red. I like it, though. Beautiful. Under a slim, solid, eggshell head.

Aroma: spicy, bready rye malt hits first, citrus beneath, somewhere. Other flavors you may look for in a saison are hidden, masked, and obliterated by the rye malt. but I really don't care, for the flavor makes up for that.

Taste: rich and full in the mouth, a pumpernickel loaf on the palate. I don't want to be the broken record, but "spicy, bready" keeps coming back. The malt character dominates, and the hop presence is here, too, but in a minor capacity. Stays on the sidelines, staving away excessive sweetness. Abundant flavor inside the mouth, spilling spice, sweetness and hop bitterness all over the place. Non-stop tingle-ation. Tasty and terrific stuff. some dark fruit flavor comes in, some raisin, some berry, …a little clove. Dark, toasty, and delicious. This is not by any stretch a true saison (although, Belgian breweries are beginning to innovate within this category some), but damned if it isn't just plain good. Delivers everything you want, even if it blurs so many lines. Any if it delivers where it counts, who cares about the rest of it?Can you taste the saison underneath? Not in the slightest, but it is just the base on which to innovate, bringing the rye and the hops to make something of another level. Got to love the end result. Another case of American innovation taking things to another step. Here's to eighteen more, Avery! (1,551 characters)

o - Overall I liked this one quite a bit; exactly what I was hoping for in a rye saison. More rye in the nose than the taste, but a nice mix of bananas, spices, and rye all around. Would like to have it again. (727 characters)

Aroma is yeasty with a mild spice to it, odd ester banana and candy aroma.

Beer is thin on the palate and mildly sweet with a semi-dry finish. The overall beer is nice but a little too sweet for my tastes and I find myself wishing it was over. I don't hate it but I don't love it. I don't think I"d have it again or recommend it. (530 characters)

The beer pours a medium amber color with a white head. The aroma is very interesting. I get the yeast and citrus notes that I expect from a saison, but I also get some toffee and a little bit of rye. The rye adds quite a bit to the aroma of the beer. The rye is also present in the flavor, as is some orange citrus, caramel, toffee and yeast notes. The beer is fairly dry overall. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. (421 characters)

Thanks to BA Smoked for the bomber. Poured into a matching Avery cervoise also care of Dan, thanks dude! This brew appears copper in color with a finger of slightly off-white head. The cap slowly fades leaving a webbing and patches of lacework on the glass. The brew looks clear for the most part until you look a little closer and notice fine chunks of particulate floating all through suspension.

The aroma of this brew is spicy with the expected saison characteristics: mild pepper and clove are upfront and most bold but give way to a mild scent of original bubblegum. Hops are present imparting a scent that is caught up in a mixture of fruit, flowers and herbal rind-like quality. Once this brew warms up, it picks up a brighter note of fruited quality that isn't bad. A swirl brings out faint notes of cheese and sulfur.

The taste is quite peppery mixed with clove and rind-like bitterness. There is a toasty grain backing that is reminiscent of rye, slightly bready at times. Hops are fairly assertive with an herbal to rindy fruit quality almost cantaloupe in flavor with some sips. Half-way through the experience, a bold yeast flavor comes forward with a young aspect about it that clashes with the other flavors. There is a lingering persistent fruity flavor that is caught between herbs, bitter fruit rinds/pulp and yeast/grass that lasts inside the mouth.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest to light level of carbonation. It could have used just a boost more carbonation in my opinion but as-is it wasn't bad. I liked the concept of the rye saison but in the end it didnt quite come together for me. The bold flavoring of toasted rye verse rindy lingering bitterness muted many of the crisp characteristics I look for in a good saison. On a bright note, the 8+% abv was well integrated in the brew. It is worth checking out if you get the chance but I would not go out of my way for it. (1,911 characters)

A darker, richer malt backbone on this one, yet remains calm. Rye is noticeable. Spice comes up quick and strong, white pepper and herbal spice. Hops make a pressence to whisk away these spices and impart a dryness. Alcohol fills the vacancy.

Starts out nicely, is a bit harsh in the end. Love the idea (626 characters)